Silver Member

"Uncle Larry"

I'm 52 not 50. Can't please everyone. Not really looking for anyones approval either, I'm just sharing my latest story. And I don't blame the police, I never said that. I realize it's a controversial issue and expected some hostilities.

Get out of your suit and smell the fresh air! Mary Jane is better for you than beer or spirits (both medically and with physical violence), opens the mind's eye (in cases) for artistic purposes and mellows you...

I know people of all ages and races who smoke weed and they have full, varied and - in some cases - fantastically fulfilling lives.
I also have known a lot of people in dead end 9-5 jobs who have your attitude who are ready to pul the trigger on whatever's hanging out of their mouth at a given time.

"Uncle Larry"

Gold Member

At 48 I dont do any "recreational activities" due to the allergic reaction of breaking out in handcuffs like this...though when I did I preferred not to do anything until the nights drumming was complete...this after fallin off my throne in the middle of a song.

Hellwyck

Guest

Senior Member

I knew there was reason I liked you Larry. Just couldn't put my finger on it.

here in most of Colorado, unless your driving, the cops treat under an ounce like a pack of cigarettes.

This kinda harassment pisses me off. If you'll allow me to soapbox for a min, I'd like to share what recently happened to me.

A few months ago I was up in Milwaukee doing some job related travel I finished up and headed back towards the airport to get a hotel for the night. Got a bite to eat, watched a little TV, talked to the family, then hit the pillows around 10:00 so I could get up early to catch my flight.

At 3:15 AM&#8230;BANG BANG BANG...POLICE, OPEN THE DOOR!!! BANG BANG BANG!!!.....OPEN THE DOOR!!!
I'm sound asleep, so at first I'm thinking, "what the heck is that?" BANG BANG BANG!!! I yell "WHAT!!" they respond "POLICE, OPEN THE DOOR!!" I start getting up to get my pants on. They're still yelling and screaming "OPEN THE DOOR, OPEN THE DOOR"

My initial thought is that they are at the wrong room, or maybe next door, or the buildings on fire, something. So I go and look through the peephole while I'm buttoning my pants on and I see about 10 cops in full paramilitary gear with pistols and assault rifles drawn on me. I crack the door open and stupid me, I didn&#8217;t have the latch on. They push open the door and it&#8217;s ON!! They start screaming "ON THE GROUND, ON THE GROUND!!!" I'm still half asleep. They pull me out out into the hall, throw me down, stick a knee in my back, and handcuff me. Then they stand me up and walk me all the way down the hall around the corner away from my room and start asking me a bunch of questions about who I am, why I'm there, what I do for a living, on and on. Then they start multiple questioning. They keep asking me the same questions in different ways, or just plain lying, trying to trip me up. "You said you just got to town yesterday. Now you're saying you got into town on Monday, which is it Chief?" Imagine being woken up at 3 am at gunpoint and having to give gun wielding cops your entire timeline for the whole week. Everything you&#8217;ve done. And they&#8217;re contradicting and twisting everything you&#8217;re saying trying to get you to screw up just once. I was giving them short one word answers only.

After about a half hour, they take me back to just outside my room and tell me that they are doing some big statewide investigation, blah blah blah and they'll let me loose as soon as everything checks out. Then the team leader, who is in full military CAMO with an assault rifle, asks AGAIN if I have any guns or drugs in my room. I say no. They say, "would you mind if we perform a search of your room and belongings to verify that." Now, I assumed that since they had led me away from my room that they had already searched it, but apparently not.

So...there I am...standing there faced with "the question". Do you mind if we search your room? Even though I have nothing illegal on me and have nothing illegal in the room (that 'm aware of), I thought about it for a second and gave a very resounding "NO, I do NOT give consent to search my room or property!!!" I knew that if they had to ask for consent, they had no probable cause. They took me back into my room, still handcuffed, They took ALL my personal information, and never told me anything about who they were. They never did search my room though. So my refusal to consent to search worked. It was the only part of that whole situation that I felt good about.

They uncuffed me, made some smart ass remarks about me getting be on cops (they weren&#8217;t filming) and they left. As quick as it started, it was over.

Basically I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and walked right into the middle of some big Wisconsin Dept of Justice drug task force investigation.
They comp'd my room, which I found out the next morning. Gee that was awful nice. So for what they put me through, the taxpayers of Wisconsin covered my room, they saved my company $80.00, AWESOME!!

So when I got home I called an attorney specializing in police misconduct. He says that basically the cops, especially state and fed type agencies pretty much have immunity against any kind of civil suit for this kind of thing; unless I was hurt. Even though this was clearly a violation of my 4th amendments rights, unless they had beat the hell out of me, or shot me, then there&#8217;s not too much I can really do. My first and most important mistake was I never should have opened the door. I should have told them that if they had a warrant, then to go ahead and kick the door. If not, go away.

Even a small amount of investigative work and they would have known I wasn't involved in whatever they were doing

Not sure what peoples opinion is on police activity of this sort is, but in my opinion, the police are supposed to protect and serve; not to drag out of their homes at gun point in the middle of the night, cuff, detain, and interrogate innocent citizens.

If you guys haven&#8217;t seen this video please watch it. It may save your butt one day.

Senior Member

The children larry, think about the children. Clearly you have a very serious problem and need to seek professional help immediately. Today it's a little of this or that in the back alley....tomorrow you're living on the street giving 5 dollar.......

Larry, I agree that it was perhaps an overreaction to actually pick you up like that - but I've got to say one thing. You were breaking the law, regardless of whether or not you agree with it. I got caught speeding a few years ago because they turned the camera around one day. Everyone used to speed just there, but I wasn't going to file a complaint because I had been breaking the law.

I'm not going to wade into the debate over legalisation and I do agree that to put you in cuffs like that is a tad harsh - but to all those saying that it's stupid and unfair let me say that the law doesn't necessarily have to be right to be enforced. The law is the law, disagree or otherwise. If nothing else, you were probably a victim of poor timing.

If you're not breaking the law in the first place, then you have reason to complain.

Senior Member

Larry, I agree that it was perhaps an overreaction to actually pick you up like that - but I've got to say one thing. You were breaking the law, regardless of whether or not you agree with it. I got caught speeding a few years ago because they turned the camera around one day. Everyone used to speed just there, but I wasn't going to file a complaint because I had been breaking the law.

I'm not going to wade into the debate over legalisation and I do agree that to put you in cuffs like that is a tad harsh - but to all those saying that it's stupid and unfair let me say that the law doesn't necessarily have to be right to be enforced. The law is the law, disagree or otherwise. If nothing else, you were probably a victim of poor timing.

If you're not breaking the law in the first place, then you have reason to complain.

Platinum Member

The children larry, think about the children. Clearly you have a very serious problem and need to seek professional help immediately. Today it's a little of this or that in the back alley....tomorrow you're living on the street giving 5 dollar.......

Silver Member

@THC, I'm pretty sure Rey could've searched the room but not your personal property. Just my GUESS, but either way that's an incredible story!

To whoever said that Larry should "get a life"....

Were the police doing their job? Absolutely! Was Larry guilty of committing a crime, albeit an outdated one? Absolutely! However, who are you to judge him?! Everyday peope all over the country commit "crimes" and see no repercussion for it!! People everyday commit actions that impact the safety and well-being of the people around them. Larry smoked some pot in a parking lot of some bar. Who was hurt by this?!

"first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Platinum Member

Well, in the beginning they were hard guys but I won em over later. It's just a big game, I'm business to them. It's not as noble as cleaning up neighborhoods. I've found that you get more respect if you defend your rights than if you don't in those situations. They laugh at you and screw you worse for being stupid if you forfeit your rights. My human rights, notifying my wife, were being exercised as well. He crossed a line by threatening to not tell her, officer or not. I asked nicely first. He refused. So I exercised my freedom of speech.

Your "rights" are the same as everybody else's: to call an attorney, remain silent, the right to be represented in court, etc. Miranda.

Your "responsibilities" (now there's a concept!) are the same as everyone else's too: obey the law or accept the consequences. That means not contributing to degrading a neighborhood by urinating in public, doing drugs in public, shouting in public, and it also means obeying the commands of police officers.

At this point, we know a lot about what the cops did and nothing about what you did, unless I missed it somewhere.

Administrator

Larry, THC, you're both clearly hardened criminal madmen that represent a threat to national security and should be shot in the head at point blank range hourly. Then, when you've decided to mend your ways, you're allowed to set up a TV church with the sole purpose of raising money to banish all recreational substances (of course, the usual 98% deduction from donations is permitted to cover running expenses). Furthermore, you shall promote wholesome non public threatening activities such as proliferation of concealed weapon permits, wearing of seatbelts, & drinking of milk.

Platinum Member

Can't wait to get flamed for this.I am a retired NYPD detective and proud of it.I agree about the outdated laws and honestly,I wouldn't have even bothered Larry,but there are some things some of you guys need to understand.When you are placed under arrest,you are going to get handcuffed.Period.That is standard procedure in every arrest situation,however there is a deadlock feature with handcuffs that won't allow them to get tighter,which should have been used.

I'm not sure about other juristictions ,but those Bucks Co.cops are just ....well lets just say I have on occasion had to deal with them and I just don't get it.They seem to hate people from NY,in fact they seem to hate everybody.

Larry is also correct to say never admit anything to a cop,especially one who trying to be helpful in getting you to admit guilt.Say nothing,ask for a lawyer,if questioning dosen't stop.Innocent people have gone to jail because of this.

Lastly,on 9/11,as I was standing in the rubble of the Trade Center,I thought about every jerk that during my career ,called me a pig,and I almost started to laugh,because those are usually the ones running away,while we are the ones running in.They also are usually the ones that say"I wasn't doing nothing,the police just grabbed me"

Sorry this happened to you Larry,and I'm glad it all worked out.Yeah ,there are bad cops out there,but most of us were just doing what we were getting paid to do.My uncle Ed told me one time,if you want to work in emergency services,and you care about what people think of you,become a fireman.If you don't care,and still want to serve the public,you become a cop.Saying all cops are pigs is just childish and ignorant.

Senior Member

I guess the thing that bothers me the most about what happened to me, and what happened to Larry, and thousands of other citizens across this country everyday at the hands of those sworn to protect us, is just the callouseness at which they just abuse the public for what seems to be there own enjoyment, or power trip.

I understand they they are out there everyday doing a dangerous thankless job. I have the utmost amount of respect for the position, not for the people who occupy that position. Those cops that raided me are supposed to be the best of the best. The Wisconsin Dept of Justice for christ sake. Within 5 minutes of dragging me out on the floor in handcuffs, they knew I wasn't involved. When they do these raids they expect to find certain things on the other side of the door. My room revealed a middle aged guy sound asleep, pair of slacks and a dress shirt draped over a chair, a laptop at the desk, a packed suitcase, my glasses, a Southwest boarding pass, a cup of water, and a cell phone with the alarm set for 5:30 am. Not saying there aren't plenty of criminals that would fit that description. They're called politicians. Ba-dump-bump. But, c'mon?

But yet, they still treated me like every other criminal they deal with every day. Detained me for almost an hour, handcuffed the whole time. They accused me of being on drugs at one point. It's 4 in the morning. Then when they were done, they made a few jokes, had a good laugh then took off without any kind of apology whatsoever.